Rating: 
Summary: Brutal rape does not an art film make
Review: While I appreciated some of the points made in this film, and its harsh criticism of sensationalist 'real TV', I have a major caveat: this film contains THE MOST BRUTAL RAPE SCENE I HAVE EVER SEEN (ONSCREEN) IN MY LIFE. I think that, while obviously it serves to demonstrate the complete immorality and viciousness of the protagonist/murderer, it is also gratuitous and extremely hazardous to the health of anyone who has gone through sexual violence. I wish I could say that it would bother every human being, but men often seem to go untouched by the cruelties inflicted on women. So. Compelling premise, but stomach-turning content that I don't think anyone should have to see without being aware that it's in there. I saw this movie 5 years ago and it still gives me nightmares. In a bad way.
Rating: 
Summary: Sick!! Sadistic!! Art!!
Review: Oh man, my mom hates this movie. That means it's great!! This movie follows the sick, depraved doings of a well dressed, educated, poetic, sadistic serial killer, who gets his kicks from shooting, strangling, beating innocent people. From an old lady, to the mailman, even a five year old kid, nobody's saved from this Edgar Allan Poe-reciting madman. All while a film crew documents his crimes (sort of like the Blair Witch-style documentary). The documentary-style of this film is really great. You can hear the sound go off when the soundman gets killed, then come back when the other crew members picks up the microphone. Plus, it's filmed in black and white, for a rawer, documentary feel. This movie is in French dialogue, but with English subtitles, so all of you who flunked French in High School can understand what's going on. Great movie, definitely worth getting if you're a fan of Natural Born Killers, Resevoir Dogs, or even the Blair Witch. Oh, for all you Punks out there, the box cover art of this movie is used on Rancid's first album cover- Demos from the Pit. Punk Rock!
Rating:
Summary: Black as comedy comes
Review: MAN BITES DOG is, quite simply, one of the blackest comedies ever made. The documentary following a charismatic serial killer about his daily business contains some of the most biting satire and perverse irreverence ever put on film. It's also perfectly scripted, directed and acted on a non-existant budget (most of the cast are members of the crew, who made the film whilst at school). Years before NATURAL BORN KILLERS, these Belgian students made a far smarter and wittier satire of media violence, that challenges our society to look at its morbid fascination with the macabre dead in the eyes. Perhaps you will not like what you see of yourself from this perspective.This remains the only Belgian film I've seen, and one of the few Belgian cultural artefacts of any nature. A country that can produce a masterpiece such as this surely can't be as bad as everybody says :))
Rating:
Summary: Merci Boucoup, Criterion
Review: MBD will undoubtedly receive its equal share of lovers and loathers...this is a very hard film to watch due to its extremity of the violence. Though its content is shocking to say the least, the overall effect is a startlingly satirical look at the media's fascination at peering from the safety of our collective couches at the levels of violence that run rampant in television. An extremely tight budgeted camera crew follow a poetry spouting serial killer through the streets of Belgium in a quasi-documentary. Adhering initially to the unofficial press "rule" of not interfereing with the outcome of events, they capture the horrific details of Benoit's bloodlust, which can only be equalled with the evident psychosis in his mind as He swings from controlled to chaotic. Ben is an interesting soul- friendly, charismatic and intelligent- which provides a pleasant yet disturbing contrast to the depravity of his actions. What gives MBD that extra degree of cinematic edge is the interviews with the crew and cast (all of which coincindently use their real names in the movie, adding a greater sense of realism)...where they argue about costs, running out of equipment and film, again spurring on the documentary feel on a fictional film. When the line is crossed by the crew from neutral observers to participants, they follow the same overall repercussions as our diabolical hero. Based on Criterion's history of giving beautiful transfers, I will be optimistic that MBD will recieve the similar royal treatment. Past VHS copies had both the Unrated Cut (which was missing the gruesome scene of Ben strangling a young boy) and the Unrated Director's Cut (aforementioned scene intact). From what I've heard, the DVD will be the unedited version. This important movie's message has become even more potent as the demand for "reality" shows has risen to ludicrous levels. We may find MBD distatesful and disturbing, but are we able to look away?
Rating: 
Summary: A unique film that pushes back the boundaries
Review: A black and white, pseudo fly on the wall documentary, with French dialogue following the weird antics of a man teetering somewhere beyond the edge of normality. That may sound like a description of "Mr Hulot's Holiday" but it also sums up "Man Bites Dog". The film follows the exploits of Benoit, a serial killer. It is his vocation and he takes it seriously indeed. Serious, not just about killing individuals but about being a serial killer. He is aware of his filmers and, on occasion, plays up to the camera. We see him commit a number of gruesome killings and dispose of the bodies of his victims. Gradually, the film makers become dragged into his crimes and finally, they are fully fledged accomplices. Some people have ascribed motivations and meanings to this film as being a comment on the way in which the media fixates on and lauds some violent criminals. I cannot agree with this. The film was made as a student project and with no expectation that it would be viewed outside its immediate academic environment. It is perhaps unconstrained by the expectation that it would be widely exhibited. There is a lot of violence in this movie. Explicit, gratuitous and, on occasion, sexual. At the same time, there is a lot of, albeit very dark, humour. It is not for the squeamish or for the narrow minded and indeed, I could not really argue with anyone who found this film profoundly offensive. On the other hand, it does have something to say which can only be said in this way.
Rating:
Summary: Tamed by other beasts
Review: In its day this was the ruling champ of gritty art-house cinema but not surprisingly Gasper Noe with his latest opus of equal horrors - Irreversible- has pretty much ripped the impact out of this little gem like starting up a lawnmower. It is true that once you witness Irreversible this one just looses a lot of its impact. It once could be deemed worthy of its deserving five stars, but many acknowledge that this was because it held the #1 shocker place on the art-house list. Now that has been eclipsed, this piece of cinema simply looses a star. It just doesn't shock like it used too. A year before Oliver Stone would work a similar theme, Belgian filmmakers had decided to come up with a horrific satire to pay homage to the world's media allure towards nasty violent news stories. Here a documentary team of filmmakers follow a serial killer around Belgium as he offs his victims in the most awful of ways imaginable (or at least they used to be the most awful of ways imaginable).... and then the thin red line between investigative reporting becomes aiding and abetting and then blurs even more into full out participation. It is still a great film and certainly has a vigorous message that still stands today ten years later, maybe even more so than ever, but it is no longer THE art-house shocker - just second place at best.
Rating:
Summary: It will shock you, but you won't mind.
Review: The Criterion Collection unearths yet another gem in the large spectrum that is foreign film. This movie would never have even been released in America given the nature of the plotline and in-your-face brutality contained within. The movie is a mockumentary of sorts, as a camera crew follows and documents the everyday life of the ever likable Benoit. Too bad he's a serial killer. There will be many times that you will laugh...and feel incredibly bad for doing so as all the humor centers around Ben's choice of work. I do feel that I should warn people that some of the material may be considered offensive or just plain to brutal for a weak stomach. I read one review mention a brutal rape scene, and indeed one is included in the film, but I must say that the reviewer exaggerates a bit and most likely has never seen Irreversible which contains the most brutal rape scene I have ever seen. It isn't the humor or shock value that makes this movie stand out though. It is the implied message that hits home. And that is the lack of morality within the media (example: The use of ultra violence and sex to sell). Also I feel I should mention that the film makers themselves do an excellent job on the super low budget that they had to work with, even using themselves in the role of all the main characters. I recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in social commentaries (Natural Born Killers is a good example) or to anyone who is interested in expanding their minds and movie palette.
Rating:
Summary: Depraved Low Budget Shocker
Review: The Criterion Collection brings film lovers some of the most engaging, challenging pictures ever made. National borders mean little to the folks at this DVD company; they will release American films as readily as they will European cinema or documentaries about African dictators. Moreover, Criterion does not flinch from controversial films because they contain controversial themes. Thanks to this company, we can readily obtain excellent versions of Paul Morrissey's "Flesh for Frankenstein" and "Blood for Dracula" along with the ultra violent "Robocop." I have yet to fully explore the depths of Criterion's film catalog, but their other discs must surely be as interesting as the titles I have viewed so far. Criterion finally released one of my favorite foreign films, the independent little gem entitled "C'est Arrive Pres de Chez Vous," oddly translated as "Man Bites Dog." Made in Belgium a little over a decade ago, this fascinating movie viciously satirizes the media and its love for dramatic violence. Criterion not only presents this movie with a heap of extras, they also restored the film to its uncut form. This is important because the version I watched nearly ten years ago was missing two scenes that are arguably the most shocking parts in the entire film. Filmed entirely in the style of a black and white documentary, "Man Bites Dog" is an often outrageous excursion into the underground world of a sadistic thug named Benoit, a travelogue of the daily activities and random thoughts of a bloodthirsty sociopath. Most of the time he robs the elderly of their pensions, commits burglaries, drinks himself silly, or kills innocent people for no other reason than that he feels like it. In several scenes we see Ben instructing the film crew on how to weigh down bodies so they will not float when he dumps the corpses into an abandoned rock quarry. His associates are mostly a rather seedy lot: he often visits an aging woman of questionable virtue and hangs out with an obnoxious boxer. Good old Benny is not above suddenly killing a pal in a fit of rage, or giving an old woman a fatal heart attack by screaming at the top of his lungs into her face. This guy is a piece of work, but what truly makes the film painful to watch is how Benoit gradually lures the filmmakers into sharing his gruesome crimes. In a way, and this is the real genius of "Man Bites Dog," the viewer can sometimes understand why the documentarians become involved in Benoit's shenanigans. Even as he commits the most despicable of crimes, this hooligan is truly a charming character with many endearing traits. He often waxes philosophic about such disparate topics as architecture and poetry, has a lady friend who takes him to art galleries, and his generosity to the filmmakers chronicling his life knows no bounds. Benny is always willing to buy a drink or pitch in to help pay for more film because he enjoys the company of his newfound buddies. Watching this guy play with children in the street even though he committed an atrocious crime against a youth in another scene presents the documentarians, and by extension the viewer, with a moral quandary not easily resolved. Benoit does not represent what Hannah Arendt referred to as the "banality of evil" but rather an "ambiguity of evil," and it makes pigeonholing this character at times extremely problematic. To make it even more difficult for the viewer to hate Benoit, his likeable mother and grandfather appear from time to time. But abhor him you will, especially after seeing the aftermath of a robbery in the suburbs and an encounter with a couple in an apartment after an all-night drunk. "Man Bites Dog" is a challenging film. Even worse, this movie is often quite funny in the way only the blackest of comedies can achieve. Benoit's overdramatic French dialogue is a scream, and many of his views on life are just downright hysterical. You cannot help but laugh when Benoit forces the camera crew to rebury bodies that have suddenly reappeared when the quarry goes dry. I think one of the funniest scenes in the movie occurs when a member of the documentary crew dies as a result of Benoit's activities and we see a member of the crew eulogize him on camera. When another filmmaker dies later in the film, this same guy performs another eulogy nearly indistinguishable from the first one. I have never felt as guilty about laughing during a film as I have with this one because I knew I just should not, could not, dared not find this amusing, but in the end I just could not help myself from giggling over Ben's antics. The extras on the Criterion disc are not all that impressive. There is a film short starring the actor who played Benoit that is not that good, an interview with the filmmakers that is rather short and does not reveal much about the film, a still gallery, and some reviews concerning the movie. The transfer quality of the picture is excellent, though, as are the subtitles for this French language film. As far as I know, we have never seen anything further from the people responsible for "Man Bites Dog." Perhaps these guys were one hit wonders, and if so that is a darn shame. This movie is so brilliantly conceived and executed that it is difficult to imagine that whoever made it would slide into obscurity.
Rating:
Summary: CINEMA!,CINEMA!
Review: At first I had a strong feeling that I would not like this movie when I rented it but I just had to see it. Then I remembered the majority of black and white films that were made 1982 and beyond that I have viewed were real good 80% of the time. Benoit Poelvoorde plays a maniac name Ben and I must say that it was a treat to watch him act, I mean FANTASTIQUE! The movie is in all a black comedy that directors Andre Bonzel and Benoit Poelvoorde have placed all the right things in all the right places to show the viewer. If your into dark films and especially dark comedies than may I suggest to you this goodie because you'll probably like it and than buy it or buy it and then like it.
Rating:
Summary: A Work Of Brilliance!!!
Review: If your a fan of films like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Snatch or other films that deal with underworld characters, then you must see this film. A psuedodocumentary, Man Bites Dog follows a serial killer living out his life. Sure, there are scenes of violence and death, but there are also scenes depicting the killer with his family and reacting to children in his neighborhood. What makes this film truely unique is it's graphic subject matter and the fact that it all seem to real. The interaction between the director and the protagonist give it that real life feel. If you are looking for something different, then check out Man Bites Dog.
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